Sarah Mercier is the CEO of Build Capable and the editor of the newly released book, Design for All Learners: Create Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences. Sarah joins the podcast to share an inside look into Design for All Learners, revealing why everyone benefits from more inclusive design, and actionable steps you can take immediately to…

Erin Diehl is a podcast host, a bestselling author, and the CEO of improve it!. In this episode, she discusses how improv shows up in day-to-day life and simple ways to use improv techniques to find success in your work and relationships. Improv as a strategic tool has a variety of uses, including building company culture, navigating workplace chal…

Juliana Sawaia is a happiness-at-work scientist, business consultant, and researcher with over 20 years of experience specializing in corporate happiness. On this episode, Julianna explains “why” fostering happiness is imperative not just for individuals, but as a business strategy. Tune in for actionable steps on “how” to cultivate happiness at wo…

Jessica Kriegel, Chief Strategy Officer at Culture Partners, is an author, podcast host, and culture expert. She joins the podcast to explore the many trend predictions for 2025, forecast which ones are likely to stick, and discuss how L&D professionals can anticipate changes to their roles. The conversation delves into the evolving use of AI tools…

Executive presence goes beyond confidence and charisma—it's a vital skill for every professional, not just those in the C-Suite. Hilary Blair, cofounder and CEO of ARTiculate Real&Clear, explores the evolving role of executive presence and its particular importance for trainers and instructional designers in the L&D field. Hilary delves into how ex…

Alaina Szlachta, PhD, is the founder of By Design Development Solutions and author of the recently published Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring. Alaina’s book provides advice for L&D professionals navigating tight budgets, limited resources, and demanding expectations. In this episode, Alaina unveils her practical framework for measurement …

As coaching grows in popularity, so does the misconception that all coaching methods deliver the same results. In this episode, Jackie Sahm, Vice President of Integrative Solutions at Hogan Assessments, joins us to explore why assessment-based coaching stands out as a transformative approach for L&D professionals. Jackie breaks down what makes asse…

Jessica Chen is the author of Smart Not Loud -How to Get Noticed at Work for all the Right Reasons. In this podcast episode, she explores effective communication strategies that elevate your professional presence. Jessica shares insight into understanding the common communication scale within organizations and how to assess your perceived position …

Succession planning is evolving beyond the C-suite and becoming a critical, organization-wide strategy. In this episode, Angela Stopper, Chief Learning Officer and Director of People & Organization Development at UC Berkeley, redefines succession planning as a forward-thinking, people-centric approach tailored for today’s dynamic workforce. Angela …

AI Agents are having their “electricity moment” in this era of technological invention. In this episode, we define AI agents and their evolving role in L&D with Mike Hruska, President and CEO of Problem Solutions. Mike explains the difference between chatbots and agents and offers practical tips for experimenting with these tools—whether you're a b…

Storytelling is fundamental for connection, but most people would not be considered naturally skilled at the art. On this episode, G. Riley Mills, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Pinnacle Performance Company, dives into why storytelling can be a challenge for L&D professionals and shares actionable strategies for honing communication skil…

Julie Winkle Giulioni, a leadership and career development expert, is the author of Promotions Are So Yesterday and co-author of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go. In this episode, Julie places her upcoming third edition of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go in the context of today's rapidly changing workforce. Julie discusses the social invisibility im…

Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist, educator, and published author, joins the podcast to discuss overcoming the three biggest hurdles blocking learning transfer: knowledge, contextualization, and adaptation. The conversation also explores the distinctions between subject comprehension and ability, the dynamics of digital versus in-person learni…

Melissa Loble, Chief Academic Officer for Canvas by Instructure and a professor at UC Irvine, joins the podcast to discuss lifelong learning. Melissa offers practical advice for companies looking to move beyond the rhetoric and foster a true culture of continuous development. Melissa addresses common barriers to learning, such as time scarcity and …

Learn how to break up emotional disconnection and repair workplace relationships with organizational psychologist Lola Gershfeld, founder of EMC Leaders. Discover the evergreen importance of emotional intelligence, how to disrupt negative relationship patterns, and practical steps to build stronger connections within your team. We delve into buildi…

Hadiya Nuriddin is the CEO and founder of Duets Learning and author of the new release, Quality Management in Learning and Development. In this episode, Hadiya breaks down what quality management really is and the misconceptions around it. Go beyond the limited “review process” mentality of checking for typos and broken links and learn how to think…

Matt Beane is an assistant professor in the Technology Management Department at UC Santa Barbara and the author of the groundbreaking book, The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines. In this episode, we delve into leveraging technology and the "three Cs" of learning: Challenge, Complexity, and Connection. Matt also…

Karin Hurt and David Dye, CEO and President of Let’s Grow Leaders, join the podcast to discuss their newly released book, Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict: What to Say Next to De-stress the Workday, Build Collaboration, and Calm Difficult Customers. The duo shares practical communication techniques from their book to help start …

Katy Chandler, the VP of Talent Management at DuraServ, developed an internal credentialing program to train her industry’s frontline technicians more efficiently and effectively. Katy shares how the program evolved to become a talent recruiting and retention tool by creating a visible career path for both new and experienced employees. She reveals…

Cortney Marchetti, HR Director at OverDrive, and Lindsey Levinsohn, Team Lead for OverDrive’s corporate market, join the podcast to discuss how digital libraries can enhance strategic alignment for organizations. Cortney and Lindsey break down the inherent value of creating alignment, on both small and large scales. They share stories and examples …

In an era of technological disruption, the skill gaps craze continues to grow for many organizations. Bob Mosher, CEO of APPLY Synergies joins the podcast to offer an alternative way to think about skill building. In this episode of Accidental Trainer, Bob discusses how aligning on the definition of “skill” is a crucial first step, the undervalued …

Global leaders agree that many people across the world are feeling the impact of a “loneliness epidemic.” Speaker, author and thought leader Devin Hughes discusses the state of human connection and how loneliness affects employee productivity on this episode of the Accidental Trainer Podcast. Devin offers solutions for leaders struggling to approac…

Elaine Lin Hering is a facilitator, communications coach, and author of the newly released Unlearning Silence. An expert on using your voice in the workplace, Elaine unpacks several major themes from her book, common challenges facing trainers, cultivating awareness around learned silence, and empowering others to speak up. Elaine offers practical …

Greg Harmeyer is the co-founder and CEO of TiER 1 Performance and the author of Impact with Love: Building Business for a Better World. On the podcast, Greg offers insight on how to shift an organization toward a modernized operating model, with the goal of intentionally creating a healthier work environment. Greg details how clarity, consistency, …

Holly Burkett is the principal consultant of HB Consulting and Evaluation Works, a performance consultancy in Northern California, and the author of Learning for the Long Run. She joins the podcast to discuss change fatigue, where it comes from, and how TD professionals can help organizations overcome common change fatigue challenges. Holly reframe…

Dr. Karl Kapp is a well-published author, professor at Commonwealth University, and all-around expert on instructional design and technology application in the L&D field. On the podcast, he shares his yearly predictions for the industry and which trends he expects to be popularized. Karl also gives his personal method for finding the latest fads, t…

Katrina Kennedy is a talented master trainer who’s been leading train-the-trainer for over 27 years. She joins the podcast to reveal how she puts evidence-based learning strategies into practice in her training programs. Katrina passionately shares practical examples and tools you can use to facilitate retrieval practice and reflection for your lea…

Impassioned speaker and author of Leading Imperfectly, James Robilotta, shares how tapping into the power of curiosity can transform communities. James breaks down his framework for cultivating curiosity and reveals how starting with better questions will lead you to more authentic connection and loyalty at work and in your personal life. Tune in f…

Lauren Weinstein, co-author of The Empowered Job Search and the Career Discovery & Enablement Lead at Microsoft, is on the podcast this week to discuss the complexities of job changes and career development. Sharing her personal story of being laid off, Lauren offers advice for those transitioning between roles, companies, and industry fields. A jo…

Evidence-informed learning designer and educational technology specialist, Nidhi Sachdeva, breaks down the dangers of conflating neurodivergence and learning styles. Discussing Dual Coding Theory, Cognitive Theory, and Information Processing Theory, Nidhi explains the science behind how people learn and what trainers often get wrong. While discussi…

Julie Dirksen is a learning strategist and author of the recently released book, Talk to the Elephant. She joins the podcast to chat about designing learning for behavior change. We discuss several topics from her book, including the COM-B behavior model, and how to map it to your behavior change interventions. Julie reveals the biggest barriers to…

Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist of Beyond the Sky, joins the podcast to share her passion for learner personas in L&D. Listen to her explanation of what learner personas are, the “do’s and dont's” of building learner personas, and the ways you can use personas in training. Meet some of Danielle’s favorite learner personas as she discuss…

Belo Miguel Cipriani, digital inclusion strategist and founder of Oleb Media, joins the podcast to help us rethink accessibility. Learn how to overcome the intimidation factor of accessibility and engage in active digital inclusivity with Belo’s empowering recommendations. Belo shares his personal experience living with a disability and addresses t…

David Dylan Thomas, Founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas LLC and author of Design for Cognitive Bias, joins the podcast to share how L&D professionals can harness cognitive bias in their work. David reveals common cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias, illusion of control, loss aversion bias, and consistency bias, and provides strategies to …

Mallory Flynn, Content Manager of Organizational and Career Development at ATD, joins the podcast to discuss the latest projects she’s been working on. Mallory shares what it was like to work behind the scenes on the newly released, ATD’s Organization Development Handbook, and how the book was specifically created to support L&D professionals navig…

Louise Hendey, CEO of Erickson Coaching International, joins the podcast to discuss how a coaching mindset can build critical skills and resiliency in the workplace. She shares common ways organizations leverage coaching, including leadership development, team collaboration, and innovation. Louise also describes the interconnected role that social …

Kris Newbauer, Chief People Officer and Head of People and Talent at Rotary International and author of Aligning Instructional Design with Business Goals, breaks down his eight-step framework that TD professionals can apply to strategically identify business needs, define success, and design curriculum with evaluation in mind. Resources: · Kris’ ne…

Markus Bernhardt, Chief Consultant for Endeavor Intelligence Insights, is an AI and digital transformation strategist. He joins the podcast to help us set realistic expectations about AI. He breaks down how large language models are built and explains why hallucinations in AI tools like Chat GPT will continue to occur. He also reveals how L&D profe…

Destery Hildenbrand, XR Solution Architect at Intellezy, joins the podcast to discuss extended reality (XR), and its evolving role in L&D. Destery defines XR, AR, VR, and MR with a quick “reality check”. He shares his impressions of the Apple Vision Pro product announcement and the implications new immersive technologies like this may have for L&D,…

Annie Murphy Paul, author of The Extended Mind, joins the podcast to discuss the benefits of thinking outside of the brain. Our conversation explores how to enhance our thinking abilities by harnessing the power of our bodies, our environments, and the people around us. Resources: AMP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniemurphypaul AMP’s Website: ht…

Bryant Galindo, founder of CollabsHQ and a workplace mediator and executive coach, joins the podcast to discuss conflict resolution tools every modern learner should know. Bryant defines mediation and highlights the similarities and differences between coaching and mediation. Bryant shares communication techniques to create more productive dialogue…

Anastasia Deduykhina, founder of Consciously Digital, joins the podcast to discuss digital wellbeing. Anastasia shares how digital transformation is impacting key workplace skills, including learning, memory, active listening, and critical thinking. She provides suggestions to regain focus, reduce stress, create boundaries with digital devices, and…

Amanda Smith, Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at the City of Alexandria, joins the podcast to discuss her approach to innovation in the government sector. Amanda shares her four-pillar approach to creating a culture that cultivates innovation and provides examples of how to rethink your strategy for leadership, workforce, processes, and partne…

Lenny Grinberg, Director of Business Development and Account Management at RWS, joins the podcast to discuss why localization matters. He shares the differences between translation and localization and reveals the biggest mistake content creators make when it comes to translating content. Lenny offers his perspective on the potential risks and bene…

In this episode, Stella Lee, chief learning strategist at Paradox Learning, shares her take on the current landscape of AI. Stella provides strategic questions everyone should be asking as they evaluate AI and its evolving role in L&D and the future of work, predicts how L&D roles will change, and gives recommendations to navigate the AI revolution…

Megan Torrance, CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, joins the podcast to share how to get started with data and analytics. Megan provides a framework for talent development professionals to archive, analyze, and act on workplace learning data, whether you are a beginner or a long-time data user. Resources: Megan’s new book: Data and Analytics for …

Luke Hobson, Senior Instructional Designer and Program Manager at MIT xPRO, joins the podcast to share the value of blogging and why talent development professionals should leverage it in their work. He describes how blogging can help repackage content and how to implement it in organizations today. We also discuss the active learning benefits of w…

Betty Dannewitz, founder of ifyouaskbetty and immersive experience designer at Ken Blanchard Companies, joins us to discuss imposter syndrome. She shares her own personal experience and research on the topic as we chat about why it happens, the way it manifests, and strategies to defeat your “imposter monster”. Betty also shares a variety of resour…

Tanya Boyd, Learning Experience Architect at Insights, joins the podcast to share the power of activating awareness. By developing this skill, Tanya shows how we can achieve our goals and unlock future outcomes with more efficiency and effectiveness. She defines various types of awareness and examples of each, how they work together, and the role o…

Under the Hood of Chat GPT with Myra Roldan Myra Roldan is a talented technologist, TEDx speaker, and go-to expert on new and emerging technologies. She joins the podcast to discuss new AI tools on the market and what to know about the generative AI chatbot everyone is talking about: Chat GPT. Myra defines AI and Chat GPT and provides various AI to…